We were driving back from Davis on Sunday, discussing how we could possibly characterize the stress of the previous day to non-cyclists, particularly endurance cyclists. Anecdotes were mentioned about telling coworkers and friends about the miles ridden this weekend, met with basic incomprehension.

On Saturday, Tina and I qualified for the 2007 California Triple Crown. Every one of those three days was hard. Really hard. Anyone who tells you different is soft pedaling (hah) or has a bad memory. Maybe that’s why the average age of folks who do these things is somewhere north of 50. :)

Saturday was also one of the most enjoyable rides I’ve ever done, thanks to the support of the Davis Bike Club and their volunteers. However, it was not the “fast, fun and flat” ride for beginners it was supposed to be. A fire near lake Baryessa closed half the route, turning the otherwise reasonable loop into an out-and-back with all the hard climbs, twice.

Good times.

We woke at 4am, dressed and packed our bikes & gear, then drove on one of the many nameless county roads from Woodland to Davis. Upon arrival at 5:30, cyclists were already departing. We finished gearing up and headed out. The sun rose by the time we reached the first rest stop, a ranch around mile 20. That’s where the confusion started.

We found out about the fire (and saw the smoke in the distance) and heard that the course was being altered. At this point our route sheets were essentially void, so we stowed those and took off in a pack of about 30 riders. We rode a couple miles past the rest stop into some rollers when a SAG truck blazed past and headed off the first riders. Apparently we missed a turn. We turned back and rode a half-mile or so back to an unmarked right (now left) and got back on track.

Been thinking about this for a while, and finally settled on doing it. I want to be lead climbing by the end of the summer.

Edit: Chris and I tried an exercise today at the gym: climb every route with a particular rating, without stopping. We started with 10 5.9s, and succeeded. Next time it’s either every 5.10a or every 5.9, twice.

Cooking has become one of my favorite single-tasking activities. Tonight I made risotto with peas, chicken katsu, and salad of baby spinach, red onion & pepper and avocado. And washed it down with a beer.